Trump-Greenland newest: White House warns it’s ‘always an option’ to make use of US army to take territory | EUROtoday

We’re hearing now from France’s foreign affairs minister Jean-Noel Barrot, who says France is working on a plan on how to respond should the US act on its threat to take over Greenland.

Barrot said the subject would be raised at his meeting with the foreign ministers of Germany and Poland later in the day.

The White House said on Tuesday that President Donald Trump is discussing options for acquiring Greenland, including potential use of the U.S. military, in a revival of his ambition to control the strategic island despite European objections.

The Nato alliance could be in “grave jeopardy” if a conversation around the US seizure of Greenland continues, the US’ former national security adviser has said.

“Of course nobody’s going to fight us over it, but it doesn’t mean we should take territory from a treaty ally,” John Bolton told CNN’s News Central.

“And if we do that or if, frankly, this conversation goes on much longer, I think the NATO alliance is in grave jeopardy. This is a self-inflicted wound by the Trump administration. It harms American security. It does not enhance it by this kind of talk about Greenland.”

Also speaking on the show was Democrat senator Jeanne Shaheen, who said she does not “believe [the threat] is serious” because it would involve undermining Nato.

“That would be crazy if the president tries to take Greenland,” she said. “They’re happy to partner with us. I mean to create this kind of antagonism with one of our best allies, which is Denmark… to create that kind of distrust just is undermining to our own national security here in America.”

European leaders have rallied together against US threats to takeover Greenland, declaring on Tuesday that “it is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland”.

A joint statement issued by British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, France’s Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Friedrich Merz, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, Poland’s Donald Tusk, Spain’s Pedro Sanchez and Denmark’s Mette Frederiksen, declared that Greenland “belongs to its people”.

“Arctic security remains a key priority for Europe and it is critical for international and transatlantic security,” it said.

The US is an “essential partner” in the endeavour to keep the Arctic safe, as an ally in the Nato alliance.

But the statement was met with one from the White House which declared that Donald Trump is looking at a “range of options” to acquire Greenland.

The White House was clear on Tuesday that it is ready to use the military to achieve a takeover of Greenland.

“The president and his crew are discussing a spread of choices to pursue this essential overseas coverage objective, and naturally, using the US army is at all times an choice on the Commander-in-Chief’s disposal,” it mentioned in a press release.

It is an unprecedented menace to make use of army pressure in opposition to a territory which belongs to a Nato nation – Denmark.

It additionally raises questions round whether or not different Nato international locations would come to Greenland’s defence if the US have been to try a army seizure, which is without doubt one of the alliance’s defining ideas.

From Seoul to California to Caracas, protests erupted throughout continents following the U.S. army operation in Venezuela.

Demonstrators gathered exterior the U.S. embassy in South Korea and on the streets of Pasadena, calling for an finish to army motion, accountability from president Donald Trump and a flip in the direction of diplomacy.

In Caracas, supporters of ousted President Nicolás Maduro and his spouse, Cilia Flores, rallied in defiance, chanting slogans and denouncing what they described as overseas aggression.

President Donald Trump’s administration has put 25 extra international locations on an inventory of countries whose residents may very well be required to submit bonds of as much as $15,000 to use for entry into the U.S., the State Department web site confirmed on Tuesday.

The record largely included international locations from Africa, Latin America and South Asia. It had a complete of 38 international locations as of Tuesday. The coverage for the newly added nations will go into impact 21 January, the State Department web site mentioned.

Venezuela, whose toppled chief Nicolas Maduro was seized by U.S. forces over the weekend and dropped at New York, was additionally included within the record.

“Any citizen or national traveling on a passport issued by one of these countries, who is found otherwise eligible for a B1/B2 visa, must post a bond for $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000,” the State Department web site mentioned, including the quantity was decided on the time of the visa interview.

Applicants should conform to the phrases of the bond by the U.S. Treasury Department’s on-line cost platform, Pay.gov, the State Department mentioned.

The U.S. authorities has mentioned the bonds search to discourage guests from overstaying their visas supposed for tourism or enterprise functions.

Since taking workplace final January, Trump, a Republican, has pursued a hard-line immigration coverage, involving an aggressive deportation drive, revocations of visas and inexperienced playing cards and screening of social media posts and previous speeches of immigrants.

Human rights teams have extensively condemned Trump’s immigration and travel-related insurance policies, saying they curb due course of ensures and free speech.

Trump and his allies say the insurance policies search to enhance home safety.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt mentioned Trump administration officers are discussing a variety of choices for buying Greenland, together with utilizing the US army to take it by pressure.

She mentioned discussions embrace buying the territory from Denmark or establishing a compact of free affiliation.

“President Trump has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States, and it’s vital to deter our adversaries in the Arctic region,” Leavitt mentioned.

“The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the U.S. military is always an option at the commander in chief’s disposal.”

Trump needs the problem resolved earlier than the top of his time period.

The Danish Embassy in Washington is but to touch upon the matter.

Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory inside the Kingdom of Denmark, has once more develop into a flashpoint after White House deputy chief of workers Stephen Miller mentioned it was the formal place of the US authorities that Greenland ought to develop into a part of the United States.

Trump reiterated over the weekend that the US “needs” the territory.

Denmark has firmly rejected the concept, warning that any US army transfer in opposition to Greenland would successfully finish NATO.

“If the United States chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, then everything stops,” prime minister Mette Frederiksen informed native media on Monday.

“That is, including our NATO, and thus the security that has been provided since the end of the Second World War.”

With the dramatic US army seize of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro earlier this week, world consideration has shifted to how allies reply – not least the UK beneath prime minister Sir Keir Starmer.

Dr Dafydd Townley, an skilled from the University of Portsmouth’s Military Education Team, mentioned the tactic wherein the US operation was performed has divided America’s allies, with its harshest critics calling it completely in opposition to worldwide legislation.

“It has placed Sir Keir Starmer in an awkward position. He must keep on the good side of Donald Trump, as he is acutely aware, but his failure to condemn the act has drawn criticism,” he mentioned.

The UK authorities has not condemned the US raid outright, because the British prime minister makes an attempt to stroll a positive line between defending worldwide legislation and maintaining the US president on facet.

He has mentioned he wished to “establish the facts” earlier than passing judgment on whether or not Trump broke worldwide legislation with the assault on Caracas whereas insisting the UK was not concerned within the operation.

However, a few of America’s closest allies strongly criticized the US army raid that captured Venezuela’s chief, elevating objections at an emergency United Nations Security Council assembly.

They argued that the operation violated worldwide legislation and the U.N. Charter.

At the assembly, international locations together with France, Denmark, Russia and China demanded Maduro’s launch.

“Where does Trump turn next? Greenland, Cuba, and Columbia have all been touted as potentially receiving the same treatment as Venezuela. Is this yet more of the foundations of the international order being pulled down? Not quite, but this presidency is proving to be contentious and consequential,” Dr Townley mentioned.